Miles Is Cut

walker active, scal and cassell inactive, giddens d league?

No surprises. It isn’t easy making the World Champion Boston Celtics team. My guess is Sam stays in street clothes, Giddens goes to D League and Walker-Scal-Whoever’s injured makes up the 3rd inactive.
I think Pruitt has earned his spot and some minutes. I also think Walker’s early shine did not continue thhrough last few games.

I hate Cassell even more now.

I hate the Celtics signing Cassell so he can be a coach locking up a roster spot that could have gone to Miles. I see people say that Miles doesn’t have any basketball in him and I disagree…he is much better than the worst basketball player of the 21st century, Brian Scalabrine.

I don’t think Portland is out of the woods on this one. I suspect Miles will catch on somewhere else. Doc and Danny did the honorable thing giving Miles time to find another team. In so doing it also made it a little more likely that Portland will get his salary back on their books. Sounds honorable and smart!

Kind of a bummer I was hoping he’d make the team. He was a long shot… Good luck to him.

Scalabrine is truly just a knot in the Celtics’ back.

If he looked ‘impressive’ why in the world wopuld they cut him?

Being the last cut on the reigning NBA Champion is no reason to conclude Miles won’t make it somewhere else. He picked the most loaded and together roster in the league to try and come back. There is certainly a spot in somebody’s top 15 of the remaining 29 teams. Personally, I think they gave up a bit too soon, and were forced to make a decision so they can let Sam sit at the end of the bench? Ironically, the move comes the day after Miles’ best stint of the preseason, hustle plays, blocks, and one nice move to the hoop. I don’t know if he would have cracked the rotation on the World Champs, but it is debatable if keeping Sam (or Scal) is really a better option. After the emergence of Pruitt, it seems like a waste of a roster spot to carry 4 point guards.

To me Giddens is too old for the D league, he was a 5th year senior. I don’t think the D league will help him, he needs to be with the team. He isn’t like a high schooler coming into the league.

I think the key is he didn’t look like a ‘rotation guy’. The Celts are giving him a chance to be in someone’s rotation but if he’s not picked up they could bring him back. They are doing it early enough to know if they will have that roster spot open or not I don’t think the early release is totally altruistic.

I feel like Miles was only here as insurance for Perk and O’Bryant. This tells me that Ainge thinks Perk is going to be healthy for the start of the season and that O’Bryant is living up to (or beyond!) expectations.

From this angle Miles getting cut is good news!

First off, Scal is better than Miles – especially in our system. Scal can guard both Forward spots better than DM. Scal is also a better outside shooter; ie: the types of looks our role players will get as defenses rotate to stop the big 3.

Secondly, I hope we start off the season with Scal and Sam in street clothes and give the young guys some run – we know that at the end of the season, it will be Sam and Scal in uniforms unless Billy or JR blow up. One of those guys is going to have to go to the D League though, can’t imagine sending Gabe back there again.

One more thought, I think keeping 4 pg’s is smart. Its argueably the most important position on the court, and a tough one to fill if injuries get out of control (anybody remember when TA was forced to play 1?).

In the end it came down to money, as it so often does. Miles’ deal was nonguaranteed.

I think they also took a shot at converting him to a power forward, and it didn’t really work. The apparent emergence of Walker and Miles’s losing a step made him a nonfactor at the 3.

Always the likely decision … Miles will probably get at least one, maybe two more, chance(s) with a new team before people start giving up on his comeback attempt.

As far as inactive, I’m guessing Sam and Giddens are locks for being inactive. Next spot possibly O Bryant, but they might want to see more of him at the start of the season so not definitely. It’ll either be Scal or O Bryant for the final active spot. I think Pruitt stays in the active squad to keep some momentum going, how he long he stays there is unknown?

It’ll be a bad sign indeed if POB ends up inactive: he’s got too much size and skill to sit for other than attitude reasons.

All is lost!

/end sarcasm

Mattyweb said: " I feel like Miles was only here as insurance for Perk and O’Bryant" can you explain that comment for me please.

Anyone that thinks that Miles played better than Scal this preseason is not being truthful or objective. Miles, as a thread of mine stated earlier, is AWFUL! They are being polite in saying the guy has basketball left in him. If he does, it is a couple years down the road because the man can not move. He either is truly finished, or is still a long ways from recovery. Looks like the Dr’s were actually right on this one. This was the correct cut.

the handwriting was on the wall so I am not shocked at all. I would keep walker active,send giddens to the d league and make scal and sam inactive guys who practice every day and are ready when you need them. Pruitt definitely looks ready to play 10-15 a night and he and eddie seem to have jelled as a backcourt/ somewhere down the road we need an athletic front court player with size. Miles had the right body type but his lack of conditioning killed his chances. I think our overall guard play will be better this year with the emergence of pruitt but IMO we are a weaker team than we were with Posey and PJ. I’m still not sold on Tony Allen but if he plays tough d and drives to the hoop he could help this team.

IMHO Bill Walker needs the D league about as much as Giddens. The three inactive players would then be Cassell, Giddens and Walker. The D league should be viewed as an opportunity to play while refining basketball skills. It should not be viewed as a demotion.

 The key question is whether a Bob Hill type of coach (the one Gabe trained with in San Francisco) is available, thus the quality of coaches available in D league will ultimately determine whether Giddens and Walker would benefit from a tour there.

Scal is definitely a defensive presence, one who intimately UNDERSTANDS the Celtic defensive system and as such should be part of the active roster. Gabe Pruitt has shown a more rounded game than either Walker of Giddens and could supply more predictable back-up minutes.

Darius Miles never seemed to build on his early impressions questioning whether he had an upside that could help this team. In addition Giddens, Walker and Pruitt seemed to possess the health and athleticism that Darius lacked.

sad to see miles cut. I was excited about his potential to return as the player he once was.

The cut makes sense though. …only 8 more days.. ;D

Good Luck to Darius,
Although I do think it would have been nice to see him in green for a bit longer this season, there’s no question he was step behind the pace, even in the preseason. I got no doubt he’ll find a contract somewhere this year anyway.

Miles getting cut means the coaching staff decided he wasn’t likely to be good enough to defend quick tall shooting forwards this season. If they had thought he might’ve been, they would’ve kept him around. I have to figure they know what they’re doing.

Brandon Wallace, call your agent.

brandon wallace part 2!

Anyone that thinks that Miles played better than Scal this preseason is not being truthful or objective. Miles, as a thread of mine stated earlier, is AWFUL! They are being polite in saying the guy has basketball left in him. If he does, it is a couple years down the road because the man can not move. He either is truly finished, or is still a long ways from recovery. Looks like the Dr’s were actually right on this one. This was the correct cut.

I’m glad that you are the end-all. Scal was an abomination this preseason – certainly as much as Miles was. Everything you just said in your post could just as easily be applied to Scalabrine.

   Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’m sure money had lots to do with this decision, as it does with any business, but people are really forgetting that Miles was never a star. He was traded twice in 4 years. Before he was injured. The guy can’t shoot, and he wasn’t going to take any of Big Baby’s minutes at PF. I also think they saw Walker as a guy they’d rather develop.

Miles is better than Scalabrine. How do you think Scalabrine would look after having not played for 2 years?

Neither one looked particularly good in the preseason games, and frankly neither one would be terribly missed. It was a financial decision. Having said that, if Miles were to clear waivers and sign with the New Jersey Nets next week, he’d be their 3rd or 4th best player.

IMHO Cassell is the one who should have been waived. Pruitt has made him superfluous.

This Miles vs. Scal debate is funny because, even in his lessened state, Miles was doing things Scal could never even dreaming of doing. And Miles, unlike Scal, never tried to do too much on offense; he put all his focus on the defensive end. If he hadn’t be carrying at extra 20 pounds, he might have had a chance of sticking with this team. But that extra weight, and 2 years worth of rust were too much to overcome. I do think he sticks somewhere else and I wish him the best of luck. Scal is, and will always be, the 16th man on a 15 man squad, if you know what I mean.

As for the inactive list, I think we’ll see Scal, Giddens and Cassell there on opening night. As the season goes along, however, I think Walker and/or Pruitt will see some time on the inactive list. I expect Giddens and Walker to be in the D League as soon as it starts up, assuming no injuries. Pruitt might even go down for a spell if he falls out of favor with Doc, just so he can stay sharp.

too bad for miles but he was not ready for this team. i hope he catches on somewhere, but he was a wish that never was.

I was pulling for him to make it,but I knew it was a long shot. I wish him well. I’m sure he is disappointed, he must appreciate the Celtics given him a chance.

Pruit will back up Rondo assuming he can stay consistent, Eddie will come in at the 2. Tony Allen will back up the 3 as will Scal depending on matchups. Cassell will see little if any playing time. Expect Giddens and even Walker to see D League time. Tony Allen looks like Tony Allen (again), look for him to be the spark plug off the bench.